1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic card connectors and assembly thereof, and more specifically to electronic card connectors and methods for assembling electronic card connectors.
2. Prior Art
As electronics technology advances, electronic cards are being more widely used with electronic devices such as mobile phones, personal computers, notebooks, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Electronic card connectors are adapted to connect electronic cards with the electronic devices, so that processing units in the devices can access information stored in the electronic cards.
A conventional electronic card connector includes an upper housing, a lower housing engaging with the upper housing by snap fastening, and a contact module having six contacts positioned side-by-side in the connector. To facilitate ejection of the electronic card, the connector further includes a card ejection mechanism. The card ejection mechanism generally has a heart-shaped configuration.
An example of a conventional electronic card connector is disclosed in Japan Patent Application No. 2000-2664. With reference to FIG. 1, the conventional electronic card connector comprises an upper housing (not shown), a lower housing 14xe2x80x2, a plurality of contacts (not shown), and a card ejector 2xe2x80x2. The card ejector 2xe2x80x2 includes a spring 27xe2x80x2, a slide arm 26xe2x80x2, and a slide lever 24xe2x80x2 attached to the slide arm 26xe2x80x2. A heart-shaped block 200xe2x80x2 and a corresponding heart-shaped groove 201xe2x80x2 surrounding the block 200xe2x80x2 are formed in the slide arm 26xe2x80x2. The block 200xe2x80x2 has a pit portion 203xe2x80x2 and a tip portion 202xe2x80x2. The slide lever 24xe2x80x2 has an upper end 242xe2x80x2 and a lower end 244xe2x80x2. In operation of the ejector, the lower end 244xe2x80x2 of the slide lever 24xe2x80x2 slides in the groove 201xe2x80x2. When an electronic card (not shown) is fully inserted into the connector, the lower end 244xe2x80x2 engages in the pit portion 203xe2x80x2. When the slide arm 26xe2x80x2 is pushed, the lower end 244xe2x80x2 exits the pit portion 203xe2x80x2, and the spring 27xe2x80x2 pushes the slide arm 26xe2x80x2 rearward to drive the inserted card to also move rearward. Thus, the inserted card is ejected from the connector.
To assemble the two housings of the conventional electronic connector is laborious and complicated. Additionally, the contacts are positioned side-by-side. Therefore the connector has a relatively large width. This goes against the modem trend toward miniaturization of electronic devices. Finally, the heart-shaped block 200xe2x80x2 and the corresponding heart-shaped groove 201xe2x80x2 in the slide arm 26xe2x80x2 cannot effectively position the slide lever 24xe2x80x2 in a desired position. Therefore the heart-shaped block 200xe2x80x2 and the heart-shaped groove 201xe2x80x2 occupy a relatively large width.
An improved electronic card connector is desired to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic card connector which has an simple structure and provides stable engagement between an electronic card and the connector.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling an electronic card connector that has an simple structure and provides stable engagement between an electronic card and the connector.
To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, an electronic card connector of the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a card ejection mechanism, a contact module, and a detecting device for detecting whether an electronic card is fully inserted into the connector. The housing defines a receiving space therein for receiving the card, and further defines a receiving cavity for accommodating the ejection mechanism at a position adjacent a lateral side of the housing. The ejection mechanism includes a guiding structure, a lid, a slide rod, a slide block, an elastic element and a retaining assembly. The guiding structure is formed in the housing. The guiding structure includes a recess and an arcuate island formed in a middle of the recess. An end of the slide rod is slidably fitted in the recess. The contact module includes two contact elements mounted end-to-end in the housing. Each contact element has three contacts. The detecting device comprises two contacts for detecting whether the card is fully inserted into the connector.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description.